Participating in the CBMs

The Confidence Building Measures (CBMs)

The Second Review Conference (1986) agreed to the exchange of Confidence-building Measures (CBMs) "in order to prevent or reduce the occurrence of ambiguities, doubts and suspicions and in order to improve international cooperation in the field of peaceful biological activities". The CBMs were expanded during a meeting of scientific and technical experts in 1987, and were modified and considerably expanded by the Third Review Conference in 1991. These forms were used for twenty years between 1991 and 2011. For reference purposes, copies of the old forms and guidance are still available. The Sixth Review Conference in 2006 agreed on several improvements to the mechanisms for submission and distribution, notably on the development of a mechanism for the electronic submission and distribution of CBMs. Paper publication of CBM submissions was subsequently discontinued. The Seventh Review Conference in 2011 revised the CBMs as well as the relevant modalities and forms.

As a result of this process, the CBMs now consist of six measures, A to G (without D):

CBM A

Part 1: Exchange of data on research centres and laboratories;Part 2: Exchange of information on national biological defence research and development programmes.

CBM B

Exchange of information on outbreaks of infectious diseases and similar occurrences caused by toxins.

CBM C

Encouragement of publication of results and promotion of use of knowledge.

CBM E

Declaration of legislation, regulations and other measures.

CBM F

Declaration of past activities in offensive and/or defensive biological research and development programmes.

CBM G

Declaration of vaccine production facilities.

CBMs are to be submitted the BWC Implementation Support Unit in the Geneva Branch of United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs no later than 15 April each year. The information provided covers the previous calendar year (for example, you should submit your CBM covering calendar year 2010 no later than 15 April 2011).

The CBM Form

The following is the new Blank CBM Form, extracted from BWC/CONF.VII/7, in Word document format:

The CBM Guide

Please click here to access the English version of the CBM revised guide 2013.

Please click here to access the Chinese version of the CBM revised guide 2013.

Please click here to access the French version of the CBM revised guide 2013.

Please click here to access the Russian version of the CBM revised guide 2013.

Please click here to access the Spanish version of the CBM revised guide 2013.

Please click here to access the Arabic version of the CBM revised guide 2013.

Completing the CBM forms takes time, especially for the first year of participation. As each country's system of government is different, here are some general suggestions:

Start early: the CBM deadline is April 15. Collecting the necessary information typically requires contacting several different government ministries and agencies, a process which could take a long time.

Use information that has already been compiled: some of the information required for the CBMs may also be required for other purposes, such as reports to the WHO or those mandated by Security Council Resolution 1540.

Be clear: if there is nothing to declare for a particular measure, say so, rather than leaving the form for that measure blank. Similarly, if there is incomplete information, or information that will be provided later, say so on the form. Remember that the purpose of the CBMs is to increase transparency, therefore incomplete information is better than none.

Below are some informal suggestions for completing each of the measures:

CBM Cover Sheet

CBM A: Part 1: Exchange of data on research centres and laboratories

CBM A: Part 2: Exchange of information on national biological defence research and development programmes

CBM B: Exchange of information on outbreaks of infectious diseases and similar occurrences caused by toxins

This measure requires information on outbreaks of disease "that seem to deviate from the normal pattern". The form contains additional information on how to determine whether an outbreak meets this criterion. The ministry of health will in most cases be the source of information for diseases affecting humans, while the ministry of agriculture or equivalent agency will have data on outbreaks affecting animals and plants. For human diseases, the ministry of health may already have submitted a report(s) to the WHO, and this will be increasingly common with the entery into force of the WHO's revised International Health Regulations (IHR) in 2007. Similarly, the ministry of agriculture may report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) or to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on animal and plant disease outbreaks, respectively.

CBM C : Encouragement of publication of results and promotion of use of knowledge

CBM E: Declaration of legislation, regulations and other measures

CBM F : Declaration of past activities in offensive and/or defensive biological research and development programmes

CBM G: Declaration of vaccine production facilities

Submitting the CBM Form

The preferred submission option is an electronic CBM return (as a Microsoft Word, RTF, or PDF document). These can be sent to bwc@unog.ch. All e-mail submissions will be acknowledged.

A hard copy with a note verbale as the cover can be sent from your permanent mission in Geneva, either by post or by fax, to:

Since 2007, CBM submissions are published in the restricted area of this website (accessible only to States Parties) unless the submitting State Party requests otherwise. Please inform the ISU if you do not want your CBM published on the secure website. Any CBMs that are not published on the website will be circulated to States Parties on CD-ROM. Some States Parties have opted to make their CBM returns available on the public section of this website. These can be found on the CBM Returns page.

Missed the deadline?

CBM returns are due by 15 April each year. If you miss this deadline, please do still submit the return as soon as you can: it is better if you submit a CBM after the deadline than not at all. If your CBM is received too late for inclusion in the paper version of the annual ISU report, it will be issued as an addendum.

Questions or comments on the CBM Form?

If you have problems or questions during the CBM process, please contact the ISU and we will do our best to help: see the contact page for details.

The ISU is also interested in receiving perspectives on any obstacles to participating in the CBMs, as well as suggestions for improvements to the current system. Such ideas can be fed into ongoing efforts to facilitate participation in the CBMs and improve their utility to States Parties.